It started with Vlatko Grozdanoski, then Ivan Nastevski and Yani Urdinov followed, while now Filip Despotovski and Dusan Savić are in the spotlight. 

Vardar and Rabotnicki are having a real transfer battle this summer.  Rabotnicki brought back Vlatko Grozdanoski to Macedonia this season after Vlatko spent last year in Iran but Vardar stole him after playing a couple of matches for the Debar Maalo club.  Rabotnicki immediately replied by signing Ivan Nastevski from Vardar, thus adding a very talented youngster to their team.

But, the transfer battle between the two clubs did not end there.  Yani Urdinov was all set to join Vardar and he was even welcomed by the fans but the transfer fell through after Rabotnicki made a better offer.  The Rabotnicki sports director Igor Angelovski even gave an interview that Rabotnicki would not sign Urdinov but that proved to be a lie as Rabotnicki announced the transfer several days later.

Next in line was former Macedonian international Dusan Savić.  The experienced striker was in talks with both clubs but Rabotnicki seems to have the edge because of their flexible offer.  Rabotnicki is willing to offer a contract until January when Savić would then look for clubs abroad while Vardar is only interested in a deal until at least next summer. 

Filip Despotovski is yet another national team player who will probably return to Macedonia since he was unable to find a club from abroad.  He failed to reach an agreement with Danish club Lyngby.  Despotovski would prefer a move to Vardar but once again, Rabotnicki might have the edge because of their flexible offer.  Similarly to Savić, Despotovski only wants a deal until January when he would then look for a club abroad but Vardar in not interested in that kind of an arrangement.  Despotovski is expected to announce his future team in the near future.

Finally, the next player who is currently a free agent is Aleksandar Vasoski.  He is wanted by Vardar and although Rabotnicki hasn’t expressed interest officially,  they could attempt to steal Vasoski from Vardar with a better offer since Rabotnicki does seem to have better finances than Vardar at the moment.  The have made smart decisions on selling young players and have benefited from the success of the club in European competitions.

Looking at the transfers of both clubs – it is obvious that Rabotnicki are better positioned when it comes to selling players and earning money from those transfers.  They have numerous young and ambitions players that will likely draw interest from foreign clubs.  As for the philosophies of the two teams, Rabotnicki is focusing on younger and talented players while Vardar has turned to experienced and proven players in the top division.  With that being said, Vardar needed to regain some credibility after a disastrous season last year so they decided to sign experienced players who were proven in the Macedonian top division as opposed to young and unproven players.

Vardar is currently at the top of the table with 19 points after seven rounds, while Rabotnicki is seven points behind in 4th place.  So, which team has the better approach?  What is your opinion on the matter?  Rabotnicki is counting on many teenagers but are lower on the table, while Vardar bought many experienced players and are currently in first place.  Which team has the better future?